TAKE A KNEE

David’s knees seemed to have exceeded their warranty. Years of sports and athleticism had led to aches and pains, countless chiropractors, glucosamine chondroitin pills, assorted ointments, and gel injections. Total knee replacement entered our lexicon.

Being a stranger in a strange land, David had many options … Italian and American.

He could enroll in the Italian healthcare system by paying the $2,000 per calendar year fee (required because he had not paid into the system while he worked), and be put on the waiting list. Since it wasn’t an emergency (which, of course, gets priority), friends told us the wait would be about 12 months. About, approximately, ambiguous. The hospital said the knee fee, as it were, was $16,000-ish … including 5 nights in the hospital for both David and his caregiver, i.e., me. Only 1 knee could be done in a calendar year … so David would have to stay enrolled for two, maybe even three, years for both joints.

I joked that if David fell, he could get surgery immediately … that’s so funny, I forgot to laugh.

Or … David could simply pay the surgeon directly. He’s had visits with the best orthopedist in Italy, who practices at Rizzoli Instituto in nearby Bologna, thanks to a referral from Dr. F in Los Angeles. That price would be $20,000-ish … and he could have had it done the next week.

Or … David could buy private insurance and wait the required six months. But there was a detailed questionnaire to complete, and we had no assurance the surgery would be covered … especially when our insurance agent gave us a dubious look. Was David’s diagnosis damage from injuries or arthritis …? Any uncertainty, any research into doctor appointments, any anything, and the company would deny payment.

Or … David could have the surgery done in the USA in a few weeks where the cost would be covered by Medicare.

We headed back to California.

Ominously … with only hints of what lay ahead … it was early February 2020.

I would stay for one month. Kitties … a 250-year old barn-turned-home during a damp Tuscan winter … starting the garden in early spring so we’d have summer vegetables. David would be there until the end of May, getting home before Kelli and her 2 kids would be visiting us. This longer stay gave David time to have physical therapy and recuperate … with the possibility that he could have the second knee replaced a few weeks after the first. We interviewed two surgeons … both said ix-nay on the ee-knay.

We interviewed two specialists. Dr. H (since Dr. F no longer deals in knees) in the San Fernando Valley and Dr. Y in Santa Monica. We picked Dr. Yun … based on his rave reviews and stellar staff. To jump to the end (several months on), David’s results were as advertised, and he is very happy being bionic … thanks to a computer-generated custom joint in titanium. The bonus is that there’s barely a scar. Ci raccomando!

So there we were.

“There” was the executive apartment owned by my dear girlhood friend Barbara and her elementary school sweetheart-husband, Peter. A quaint apartment in a park-like setting, near a 400-year-old sycamore tree and the creek that runs through this area. It’s in the community formerly known as Leisure World … and which, for PR reasons, is now rebranded Laguna Woods. In Orange County. The Forbidden Kingdom to me, but where David grew up.

Meals were mostly home cooking, courtesy of Trader Joe’s … and I stocked up with our favorites once we settled in. Chocolate-covered pretzels are a food group.

I downloaded UberEats and DashPass on David’s phone … and, later from Italy, ordered a couple of times from Amazon/Whole Foods. Unfortunately, I couldn’t control the substitution of bananas with, wow, plantains. Sometimes a banana is just a banana. I hope that shopper doesn’t mix up apple juice and white wine.

We did have some restaurant meals.

Good friends Jeff and Susan know, among other things, great sushi. We met at their lovely home so I could talk with (and, if I’m lucky, pet) their three kitties … then headed to HAYAMA in West L.A. The outside patio has a big fire pit, inside is casual and non-descript, the highlight being a framed Lakers jersey over the cash register. We always let Jeff order … some classics while others are new twists on favorites, and we are never disappointed in the flavors and variety.

Our feast included cubes of tender eggplant in ponzu, sprinkled with sesame seeds … terrific tuna tartar on a warm crispy rice cake, then topped with avocado and shoyu … melt-in-your-mouth yellowtail … tantalizing tuna … succulent salmon … morsels of mackerel wrapped in nori, then drizzled with ponzu … hand roll with teriyaki beef, greens, cucumbers … baked egg custard hinting of sweetness,with a band of nori. Sushi so super and definitively delectable, I didn’t miss Italian food. Grazie mille Susan and Jeff.

One afternoon included a very special highlight. My amazing high school friend, Fredde, is a fabulous baker, renowned restaurant eater, creative film maker, and talented food blogger. Check out “Channeling the Food Critic in Me” and “One For the Table” to read great stories about food … and life. She invited us over … and surprised us with a birthday cake. Not for us, but for friend Tracy, who was also on her way over. It was a wonderful light chocolate cake with Southern pecan frosting … tender and sweet and moist with an icing that was creamy and irresistible. And yes, there was a candle and we sang Happy Birthday! We also got to spend time with Fredde’s smart, handsome Siamese kitty, Igor the Entertainer, and black-and-white sweetheart, Li’l Sista.

The night before David’s surgery, we rendezvoused with Vickie and Mickie for an early-bird dinner at FROMAN’S DELI in Santa Monica. I was feeling finicky, unable to decide from the large menu. I knew I wanted rye bread. So … I opted for a satisfying navy bean soup with, yep a side of rye. With a schmear of butter, the slices were just what I had wanted. David had pastrami on rye, served with French fries and a side of mayo-infused cole slaw.

Lunch one day found us out-and-about. We had never heard of HOOK BURGERS in Valencia, but David suggested we try it. He enjoyed a juicy burger, medium-well, with Monterey Jack and guacamole. I shared the yummy, crispy, salty sweet potato fries.

There was more fish in our future, and we went to SUSHI SONG in Saugus with my friend/sister, Agat. Bustling and modern, with TVs on multiple walls, we sat on the 3 stools on the small side of the sushi bar, next to a stack of napkins and the container for chopsticks. Our dinner included tender tuna … succulent salmon … delicious crab roll topped with salmon roe … yummy eel with a nori band, topped with sweet ponzu.

Sitting at a table overlooking the Pacific Ocean … another day in Paradise … we were at DUKE’S in Malibu for a taste of Hawaii. Great ahi tacos with avocado, black sesame seeds, and lime mayonnaise … delicious seared ahi with shoyu, avocado cream, spicy cucumbers, sauteed edamame and greens … tender baked moonfish with one scoop rice, one scoop mayo-filled macaroni salad, spicy slaw of cucumbers and greens. And, of course, classic colossal Hula Pie … macadamia ice cream piled high in a crumb crust, then topped with rosettes of whipped cream, a generous pool of chocolate syrup, and chopped macadamia nuts. Yummy!

While we were near the coast, we stopped at one of my old haunts … BAY CITY IMPORTS, the Italian market in Santa Monica. It’s where I saw Angela Lansbury many years ago. She was being careful with her coriander … no, she did not buy meat pies. We thought the prices were so high, even for the now-stale panettone filling the shelves.

In David’s post-surgery days, when being a passenger in the car still wasn’t comfortable, my good elementary school friend Bruce and his lovely wife, Nancy, drove down from West L.A. None of us had ever used UberEats … and we decided it was a good time to try. Bruce and I hovered over the phone, looking at what restaurant, what to order, what to click. We picked LUNA GRILL, an “Eastern Mediterranean” restaurant in neighboring Lake Forest.

Sitting in the enclosed patio, we all enjoyed tasty grilled chicken … fluffy Syrian rice … delicious hummus … wedges of pita bread … flavorful Syrian-Greek salad of mixed field greens, olives, garbanzo beans, feta cheese, pickled onions, chopped tomato … crispy falafel … tasty stuffed grape leaves … nice Israeli couscous with cubes of cucumber, red onions, carrots … creamy tzatziki. A veritable feast …

A few days later, we saw wine guy and golf buddy Bill. He’s a meat and potatoes guy, hold the potatoes. But I had recently given up beef … and Bill was gracious to suggest YAMA SUSHI & GRILL in Mission Viejo. Who am I to disagree?

Sitting in front of the chef, we nibbled on garlic edamame and sipped green tea and adult beverages while we waited for the feast of the fishes. Yummy yellowtail … tender tuna … something pale and translucent and delicate … topped with a sliver of lemon and drizzled with ponzu … hand roll with sea urchin … oysters with peppers and ponzu … spider roll topped with crispy rice and eel sauce … California roll topped with octopus … slices of red and white tenderness topped with sesame seeds and spicy green sauce. I skipped a couple that were too piquante … and was too full to keep up everything that David and Bill ordered. Oh yeah, oranges with whipped cream for dessert.

I thought I’d share dishes I cooked, since I took photos (duh!) from our kitchen. Salad with tuna and avocado … fusilli with green beans and parmigiano … rice pilaf with avocado and arugula … avocado toast … linguine with arugula and parmigiano … pan-grilled salmon … pan-grilled tuna … pan-grilled pork chops … spaghetti with tuna, avocado, and arugula.

Did I mention avocado …?

And then it was time for me to head home. Barbara came over, and we went to Trader Joe’s to stock David’s freezer. She was more diligent than I was about reading labels … but more with an eye toward cholesterol than ingredients. Everything from buffalo burgers to “focaccia pizza” to mac-and-cheese. To ice cream sandwiches.

Barbara offered to take me to the airport … and I offered to take her to lunch. We wanted to eat near LAX, to finish the long part of the drive. She had a list of assorted cuisines … we reviewed proximity and ratings, and picked PHO SHOW on Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City. We both had shrimp pho. I rarely order shrimp because David is allergic, so this was a perfect opportunity to enjoy this crustacean. Shimmery long rice noodles, lots of tender shrimp, bean sprouts, chopped scallions, thai basil, wedges of lime, cilantro (for those that like that sort of thing), all in a flavorful vegetable broth. A great pre-flight lunch … a great way to thank Barbara for her hospitality.

Check-in … security … lounge … plane … home. Kitties [heart]!

FIG SCONES

2–½ cups flour
½ cup oatmeal
1 Tbl. baking powder
Pinch of salt
¼ cup sugar
1–⅓ to 1–½ cup cream … plus some for brushing
¾ cup fresh figs, chopped
¼ cup hazelnuts, chopped
Cocoa … for sprinkling

- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190° C). Line a baking sheet with a silpat.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir in figs and hazelnuts.
- Add the cream. Stir until just moistened, adding more cream if too the dough is too dry.
- Turn out onto lightly floured board. Press/flatten until the dough is about 1 inch high.
- Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out scones. Gently re-shape remaining dough, then cut out scones until all of the dough is used.
- Brush tops with cream, then sprinkle lightly with cocoa.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until lightly browned, top and bottom.
- Serve warm.
Makes 12 scones.
Enjoy!